Study: Higher Education, Income Linked to Lower Incidence of Obesity

Higher education and socioeconomic status are associated with a lower incidence of obesity in both men and women, according to researchers at Cancer Research UK in England.

Researchers developed a study to look at the social and economic predictors of obesity in men and women, using data from the 1996 Health Survey for England. They compared odds ratios for obesity by education, occupation, and two economic factors, after controlling for age, marital status, and ethnicity.

Investigators found that the incidence of obesity was greater among men and women with fewer years of education and poorer economic circumstances. Also, lower occupational status was associated with obesity in women but not men, according to the report published in the American Journal of Public Health.

Other sources: American Journal of Public Health